Wildlife Rehabilitation

Most Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers aren’t large like the ones you see on the character programs on T.V.. The majority of us run from our houses and backyards. We do it with no Federal or State funding. We are a few of the Division of Wildlife’s most important volunteers; we do thousands of hours annually. Funding our facilities is our duty. Our education is our duty also. In most states you need to be licensed by the state and at times also the Federal Government. This is for the critter’s wellbeing, because he then goes to a person trained to deal with that species.

It requires long hours and plenty of money (which you do not have). In one day you’ll be shown something amazing, and come face to face with death. The best paycheck is successfully releasing that critter back to the wild. Which is great, for there is not any glory in cleaning up piles and piles of manure. It’s strictly for the love of these animals. You take all of the coyotes, and then you have population problems with species they consume, such as the cottontails or gophers.

What we do as Wildlife Rehabbers is to try to keep the balance between man and wildlife. Virtually everything we get in is because of a kind of human conflict. As we move further and further into”critter land” we will have a growing number of conflicts with character, your garden is that raccoon’s backyard also. We simply need to learn how to co-exist, not take over but co-exist. If everything in nature has its own place, and it has learned to coexist except for us, well why? Why do we want to modify the behavior of everything so as to get along with it? As Wildlife Rehabilitators we need to be sensitive to that creature or birds needs. This is the reason if you discover wildlife in trouble call your community licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator. They’ve been trained to help. We can all pitch in together with the preservation of our own backyards. And if we’re really blessed, we get to see that critter return to the wild and live as it was intended. That is a job well done! And it takes us all.